Her career was in jeopardy because of head injuries she suffered in a race crash at the Tokyo Olympics.

Kennedy won the men's series for the first time, a year after a serious knee injury in a racing crash forced him out of the world championships.

The overall titles were secured last weekend at the fifth and sixth World Cup rounds in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Recovering from a training crash last week, Sakakibara won the two finals - giving her four wins from the six World Cup rounds, and the overall title by nearly 900 points.

Kennedy won silver in the two Tulsa rounds and squeezed past Swiss Cedric Butti, who failed to make the last final.

“I was really driven coming into the weekend, and aiming to just put down my best performance and race like I know that I can," Sakakibara said.

"And this week, with all the mental challenges, I feel so happy that I was able to do that, and the win is just the bonus on that.

“It just goes to show everything I'm doing back at home is really working.

"I'm really rehearsing my mental process for each race weekend, and each experience like this is just evidence that I can kind of look back upon when the pressure situations come at worlds and Games later on this year.”

Kennedy said securing his first overall World Cup crown was "pretty sweet", particularly given last year's injury.

“Before that main (final), that's probably pressure like I’ve never felt before. I knew I had a shot," Kennedy said.

"I’d seen Cedric go out in the semis, and I didn't know what I needed to get, but I just locked in, tried to focus on my process."

The BMX racing world championships will be held from May 12-18 in Rock Hill, South Carolina, ahead of the Olympic events on August 1-2.

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